Climbing Cotopaxi (19,347ft/5.897m) + hike in 3 days

Itinerary

We’ll leave from Quito (9,186ft/2.800m) early in the morning and will drive south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes until we get to the Cotopaxi National Park entrance. From this point, it will take us only 30 more minutes to get to the camping place Limpiopungo (12,139ft/3.700m), where we’ll leave our stuff and start our hike to the base of Rumiñahui Mountain (14,108ft/4.300m). We’ll have lunch during the hike on the mountain. Round trip time: 6 hours. Dinner will be served by late afternoon. Overnight in tents (-/BL/D)

After having breakfast, we’ll pack the necessary things for the two-day Cotopaxi climb; the rest of the stuff will be left at the camping place. After a half hour drive we will reach the Cotopaxi parking lot (14,764ft/4.500m), and then we’ll hike up for another hour to the Jose Ribas Refuge (15,958ft/4.864m). In the afternoon we’ll head up to the glacier for ice climbing practices and training. We’ll learn some basic techniques which include last but not least proper handling of the climbing equipment (crampons, ice axe, rope, etc). We’ll go back to the Refuge for dinner and rest (B/BL/D)

Midnight will be our wake up time and the departure to the top (19,347ft/5.897m) will be around 1 am, after having a light breakfast and get our stuff ready for the ascent which will take us about 6 to 8 hours. Once at the summit, we’ll take our time to capture the scenery: the crater and surroundings, and then we’ll head down back to the refuge, which will take us 2 to 3 hours. Once at the refuge, we will pack our belongings, have lunch and go down to the parking lot. There will be transportation ready to take us back to Quito (9,186ft/2.800m) (B/BL/-)

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